


for the first time I'm thinking past tomorrow

by ohmcgee



Series: ohmcgee's mallverse [29]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Retail, M/M, actual garbage human Hal Jordan, mallverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 22:01:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7332229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmcgee/pseuds/ohmcgee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Just Hal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	for the first time I'm thinking past tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, those are Hamilton lyrics.

“Just gimme…” Wally hears some guy behind the counter say as he’s unpacking a case of creamers. “Whatever that’ll get me.”

“Uh,” Kara says, popping her gum. “That’s like. Twenty-five...thirty-two cents, a stick of sugar-free gum, and a condom.”

“Oh my god,” Wally mutters, breaking into a grin, and smacks his head on the counter he stands up so fast. “Ow. Hal?”

“That’s my name, cutie,” Hal says, flashing him a kind of filthy smirk that makes Wally’s stomach do a weird flip. “What’s your -- holy shit, _Wally?_ ”

Wally beams at him, bounces on the heels of his chucks. “Didn’t think you’d remember,” he says, then pours Hal a cup of coffee, ignoring Kara when she crosses her arms over her chest and gives him that _M’s gonna tear you a new one_ look.

Hal scoops up his gum and the little purple condom packet, shoves that and his change back in his pocket and grabs the coffee Wally sits down on the counter. “You were like ten last time I saw you,” Hal says, swearing like a sailor when he takes a sip and burns his tongue. 

“I was fourteen,” Wally says defensively. 

“Whatever, you were a shrimp,” Hal says. “Kinda still are.”

“Hey!” Wally says and throws a creamer packet at him. 

Hal catches it like nothing and Wally remembers all those old stories Hal and Barry used to tell him about when Hal was the quarterback for the football team, all the girls he used to get because of it. 

He also remembers Hal just called him _cutie._

“So,” Wally says. “What’s up? What are you doing in Gotham?”

“Oh you know,” Hal says, waving his hand. He curses up a storm when he spill coffee all over his leg. Wally walks around the counter and hands him up a couple of napkins. “Just needed a change of scenery. What have you been up to, kiddo?”

They sit down at one of the tables in the corner and Wally holds up a finger when Kara shoots him a death glare. “Not, uh, not much? Just working, mostly.”

Hal raises one eyebrow as he sips his coffee. “How’s school?”

“Oh!” Wally says, probably a little too excitedly. “It’s great! School is -- you know. I go every day and...learn...things.”

Hal snorts so much he chokes on his coffee. “Fuck, you’re a terrible liar.”

Wally frowns. “But I’m --”

“Not going to college anymore but you don’t want me to tell Iris and Barry because you’re afraid they’ll be disappointed in you and they probably still send you some cash every month for food and it helps with the rent payment.”

Wally slumps in his chair. “Shit.”

Hal just grins. “Don’t feel too bad. Being a shitty liar is actually a good thing or so I hear.”

“I tried,” Wally says, ripping Hal’s empty sugar packets to shreds. “It just wasn’t --”

“Hey,” Hal holds his hands up. “I’m the last person you gotta explain yourself to, kid. Don’t worry about me telling your aunt and uncle, okay? That’s none of my business.”

“Hal,” Wally says, squinting at his shirt. “Why are you wearing a _Phone Palace_ shirt? Isn’t that the kiosk on the north side of the mall with all the blinged out phone cases?”

“And that,” Hal says, crushing his styrofoam cup and tossing it in the trash before winking at Wally and walking out. “Is none of your business.”

 

: : :

 

“Who was the weirdo?” Kara asks after they deal with the after-school rush of highschool kids swarming the mall to spend their parents money. 

Wally gives her a funny look.

“You know,” Kara says, gesturing vaguely. “The pervy one you gave free coffee to.”

“Oh,” Wally says. “Don’t tell M.”

“You know he’ll find out even if I don’t,” Kara says. “So who was he?”

“Just Hal,” Wally says. “He’s my Uncle Barry’s best friend from high school. And he’s not a weirdo perv. He’s just...Hal.” 

“Well,” Kara says. “Just Hal was perving on your ass pretty hard before he tried to order.”

Wally snorts. “Yeah okay,” he says, ringing up one of the cake pops to eat since he didn’t eat lunch.

“Seriously,” Kara says. “It’s like my boobs weren’t even there.”

Wally’s stomach does that weird somersault thing again, so he shoves the cake pop in his mouth and shrugs. “Maybe you should’ve worn a better bra.”

Kara’s eyes narrow at him and then she shrieks, “ _M! Wally gave away free coffee!_ ”

Wally sighs. He totally deserved that. 

 

: : :

 

After that Wally sees Hal almost every day he’s working. Kara thinks it’s only because Wally gives him free coffee (or pays for it if M’s lurking around), but they always end up talking about old times and Hal still tells the craziest stories and it makes Wally remember how much fun he used to have, just sitting around on Barry’s back porch while Hal grilled chicken. Hal showing him how to throw a football, or shooting basketball with him after dark. The only thing is, maybe he was just a dumb kid at the time and everyone seemed grown up, but he kind of remembered Hal being more together than this. When Wally asked him what he’d been up to the last few years, Hal just looked at him really seriously and said, “Never, ever get married. And if you do, definitely don’t do it three more times.”

Apparently alimony’s a bitch.

It’s kind of turned into a game, trying to figure out where Hal’s going to be working at from week to week. After the first couple of days Hal came into the shop, Wally went and looked for him at the _Phone Palace_ to say hi on his break only to find him at a little kiosk selling knock-off sunglasses and purses. A few days after that Wally found him selling tiny baby turtles out of an aquarium across from the Hot Topic Dick works at. Today he’s giving chair massages near the entrance and Wally tries not to giggle as soon as he finds him. 

As soon as Hal finishes massaging an elderly gentleman’s neck for him, Wally walks over, hands in the pocket of his hoodie. 

“My turn,” he grins and Hal rolls his eyes at him. 

“I’m off the clock.”

“Nuh uh,” Wally says. “I hurt my back making you all those _free_ coffees with a bajillion extra shots.”

“Brat,” Hal laughs, then points to the chair. 

Wally straddles it and puts his face where the weird little face hole is, lets his arms dangle awkwardly by his sides.

“So,” he says when Hal starts pressing his thumbs into his shoulders. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“Oh sure,” Hal says. “I took a two hour class.”

Wally snorts, but then Hal’s thumbs dig in a little deeper and he adds his fingers and a small little moan slips out of Wally’s mouth. 

“Aha,” Hal says, leaning over him. “That’s what you get for doubting my skills.”

Hal kneads Wally’s shoulder, then does this thing with his thumb against the nape of Wally’s neck that has Wally squirming in the chair it feels so good. “Oh man,” Wally says. “Do that again.”

Hal chuckles behind him, but he does, and this time his knuckles brush the ends of Wally’s hair and a shiver down his spine and he thinks he probably makes a really inappropriate noise because Hal just sort of stops all of a sudden. Also people are staring. 

“Um,” Wally says, pink-faced when he stands up. “Guess I should get back before my break’s over.”

“See ya, kid,” Hal says, smirking at him. 

Wally just hopes he can make it to the men’s room before anyone notices the giant boner he’s got. 

 

: : :

 

He’s leaving sticky notes all over the place for Kyle to find in the morning, things like _AT LEAST I KNOW HOW TO CLEAN THE ESPRESSO MACHINE_ and _STOP USING SO MUCH SYRUP_ and _CLOSERS RULE_ , when Hal bangs on the gate that M’s already pulled down. 

“Hey,” Wally says when he runs up to it, sharpie still in hand. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Hal says. “I’m just still amped from that ‘special’ frappuccino you made me earlier. What are you doing after you close up?”

“Uh,” Wally says, bouncing on his heels, biting on the inside of his cheek. “We were gonna get drinks, I think. There’s this bar a few blocks over.”

“Cool,” Hal says. “I mean. Unless you don’t want some old dude harshing your vibe or whatever.”

Wally snorts. “No one says that. And you’re not old. Unless you really say that, then --”

“I don’t say that,” Hal grins. “You guys don’t mind me tagging along though?”

“Of course not,” Wally grins. “Hang around and we’ll ride together.”

“No problem,” Hal says. “I’ll wait for you out front, gotta get my phone out of my car.”

Wally cleans up the store in record time, gets impatient waiting for Kara to clean up her section until he can’t wait anymore and just does it for her. 

“Geeze, Wally,” she says. “What’s the big hurry?”

“Nothing,” Wally says. “I’m just ready to get out of here.”

They catch up with Steph and Dick on the way out and Kara says something under her breath that Wally can’t hear when she sees Hal leaned up against his car talking on his phone. 

“Oh,” Wally says. “Hal’s going out with us tonight.”

“Who’s Hal?” Dick asks, shoving M’s hand off of him when M tries taking the tiara off his head. “I _won_ this. It’s mine.”

“Just Hal,” Wally says. “He’s a friend. Why’d you win it?”

“Because he’s a princess,” M says. “Clearly.”

Wally laughs when Dick sticks his tongue out; his tongue ring is blue like the tips of his hair. 

Dick, Steph, Kara, and M all ride together in M’s Jeep and Wally rides with Hal in Hal’s Kia. Hal’s car is trashed worse than Dick’s when Wally used to ride with him to work, fast food bags and receipts all over the place, knobs missing, and half the radio stations won’t come in, so Hal uses his iPod to play music. He drums his fingers to Ke$ha on the way to the bar and Wally can’t stop smiling. 

 

: : :

 

When they get to the bar Dick goes straight for the dartboard while M orders a round of shots. Steph picks out a pretty big booth and Wally and Hal join her and Kara while they wait for the waitress to bring the pints over. 

“So, you’re Just Hal,” Kara says, scrutinizing him as she reaches for a corn chip. 

“So you’re The Kara,” Hal says, smirking back at her. 

“I have many questions for you,” Kara says, pointing at Hal with her chip. 

“You can have three,” Hal says. “Shoot.”

“Hmm,” Kara says, looking suddenly stumped. “Okay. What’s your favorite drink?”

“PBR,” Hal says. “And fuck you, I’m too old to be a hipster so don’t even say it.”

Kara giggles and sprays chip crumbs everywhere. 

“Ooh, I want one,” Steph butts in, leaning in to bite the rest of the chip out of Kara’s hand. 

“You,” Hal says, squinting. “I don’t know you.”

“I’m Steph,” Steph waves her hand. “I’m awesome. Anyway. My turn to ask questions. How old are you?”

“Thirty-five,” Hal says, pouring himself a glass once the waitress brings them their beer, then winks at Steph across the table. “For the fifth year in a row.”

“Hey,” Kara says. “Maybe he knows Jay’s boyfriend? He’s like, fifty-ish, right?”

“I don’t think it works like that, Kara,”

Steph giggles.

“Oh no,” Hal says, taking a sip of his beer. “There’s a secret middle-aged man club. We all have to register. There’s a phone tree.”

“Oh my god,” Kara says. “Phone trees are so useful.”

Maybe the beer’s just getting to Wally super fast, but feeling Hal laughing pressed up against him feels pretty cool. 

“He’s fucking with you, sweetie,” Steph says, patting her on the head.

“Whatever,” Kara says. “Last question. If you’re so old, why do you work in a mall?”

Wally physically feels Hal tense up at his side. He shoots Kara a glare but she doesn’t seem to notice.

“Every little boy’s dream, right?” Hal grins, throwing back more of his beer. “Fireman, astronaut, guy who hocks useless shit at super malls.”

“Hey look,” Wally interrupts, pointing at the tv overhead. “The Giants are playing. Hal used to play football. He was the quarterback. Barry said he was the best one the team had had in like ten _years_ and this one time he --”

“Banged every cheerleader on the squad,” Hal says, grinning as he licks the foam off his top lip. 

Kara and Steph just groan and Kara, bored now, talks Steph into going over and finding some songs to play on the jukebox. 

Hal’s quiet for a few minutes while he drinks his beer and Wally just sits there, tearing a napkin to shreds, until finally he says, “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” Hal asks. 

“Act like you were just, like you weren’t that great or something,” Wally says. “I know you were. You were the most popular guy in school, you were the _quarterback_ and --”

“Yeah,” Hal says. “ _Was._ Does it look like any of that shit matters now, Wally? Do I look like a fucking quarterback to you?”

Then he’s scooting out the other side of the booth and walking off and Wally just sits there and watches as he walks out the door, trying to figure out what he did.

 

: : :

 

Wally finishes his beer, then leaves a meager tip on the table, and follows Hal outside, hoping he’s still out there. He almost thinks Hal’s left him until finally Wally finds him in the parking lot, leaning up against the side of his car smoking. Hal doesn’t say anything when he looks at him, just looks up at the stars. 

“Yes,” Wally says, getting his attention. 

Hal drops the butt of the cigarette and grinds it out with his shoe, raises his eyebrow at Wally. “Yes, what?”

“Yes,” Wally says, looking up at him from under his lashes. “You do look like a quarterback to me.”

Hal snorts. “I’m fine, kiddo. I don’t need you to make me feel better or anything.” He sighs and shoves his hands in the pockets of the same leather jacket he used to wear all the time. “Sorry I went off on you in there. I just had a shitty week, alright?”

“Alright,” Wally says, rubbing his hands together. “Will you come back inside then? It’s freezing out here.”

“Sure,” Hal says, grinning. “Let’s go get drunk.”

 

: : :

 

Wednesday Wasted is what Dick likes to call it. Wally calls it _I don’t remember where I live so Hal’s taking me back to his place._ Or at least he does now. 

Hal very unfairly did not get as drunk as he did, which Wally guesses is good since he had to drive his car and all that. And is also good because if they were both drunk Hal probably wouldn’t do as great of a job of helping Wally walk up the stairs to his apartment.

“Oof you’re a skinny thing but you're fuckin' solid when you’re blasted,” Hal laughs, finally leaning Wally up against the wall when he gets to his place so he can fish his keys out and get the door open. “Eat a cheeseburger or ten, kid. You’re such a lightweight.”

“ _You’re_ a lightweight,” Wally says, then giggles, and almost falls down when he tries to walk through the door. 

“Oh totally,” Hal says. “That must be why I lost my shoe and couldn’t remember my own address and -- oh wait, that’s you.”

Wally sticks his tongue out and giggles when Hal tries to stick it back in his mouth for him. 

“Alright you,” Hal laughs, steering Wally toward the couch. “Sleep it off, I’ll get you some blankets.”

He leaves Wally on the couch while he disappears somewhere, comes back with a bottle of water, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a big quilt to cover Wally up with. 

“M’too drunk to sleep,” Wally says. “Watch tv with me.”

“Okay,” Hal says. “But only because I need to catch up on Pretty Little Liars.”

Wally grins and gets comfortable under his blanket, putting his feet in Hal’s lap after the show starts. He has to get up and pee soon after that though and when he comes back he forgets to lie down on the other end and just lays his head in Hal’s lap. It’s comfortable and warm and at some point Hal starts just sort of petting his hair, nearly putting him to sleep. 

When the room goes dark Wally opens his eyes and realizes the show has went off, so he sits up and looks at Hal, eyes trying to focus in the dim light of the blank tv.  
“Thought you were out,” Hal says. “I’m gonna hit the sack.”

“Kay,” Wally says, then he’s not sure what he's doing, but he leans in and puts one hand on Hal’s shoulder, then leans in some more and wets his lips and --

Hal’s hand is on his chest. 

“Don’t.”. 

Wally frowns even though he knows Hal probably can’t see him do it. “I think I like you,” he says. 

“I know,” Hal says back to him. “Don't. Just go to sleep, Wally.”

“Kay,” Wally says, too drunk to deal with how confused and rejected he feels, pulls the quilt up to his chin once Hal gets up, then lays his head down on his pillow and passes out after a few minutes. 

 

: : :

 

Wally wakes up, according to the microwave, at ten after three, freaks out about not knowing where he is for about thirty seconds before it comes back to him. 

Hal's place, right. Hal brought him back here when he pretended not to remember where he lived. Hal petted his hair and rubbed his back when he thought Wally had fallen asleep. Hal almost let him kiss him except he got all weird about it and made Wally go to sleep. 

Well screw _that._

Wally gets up, dropping the quilt onto the floor, then pads down the hallway looking for Hal’s room. The first door he opens goes to a linen closet, but the second one is his. Wally can tell just because it smells like him, like sunshine and cigarettes and the kind-of-douchey cologne that Wally secretly likes. 

He walks over to the side of Hal’s bed and he can see Hal stir, can see him roll onto his back and look up at him. He doesn’t have to say anything else or maybe Wally’s just really, really hoping he’s right, but either way, Wally just pulls the covers back and climbs on top of him, leaning down to brush their lips together.

“Alright,” Hal breathes out, sliding his hands up Wally’s back. “Alright, jesus.”

Then he’s kissing him, one hand on the back of Wally’s head and licking into his mouth, keeping his other hand on Wally’s hip as Wally presses against him. Wally’s half hard but getting harder by every second and when he feels Hal start to get hard against his thigh too he lets out a soft little noise against Hal’s mouth and Hal _squeezes_ his hip. 

“Tell me what you want,” Hal whispers against Wally’s jaw. “I don’t know if you’ve even --”

“I’m not,” Wally says, struggling for words. “I haven’t --”

“Hey, it’s cool,” Hal says. “I just wanna be sure you know what --”

“I used to think about you,” Wally blurts out. “When I was. When I got myself off. I would come so hard just thinking about kissing you.”

“Oh fuck it,” Hal mutters, then he’s grabbing Wally’s face and fucking his tongue down his throat, reaching for Wally’s ass and getting a good grip, dragging Wally down against him and Wally makes this strangled noise against Hal’s mouth and starts grinding against him, letting Hal get them into a rhythm that has them both panting. 

“Oh god,” Wally moans. “This feels so good. Why does this feel so _good_?”

Hal kisses him again, sloppy and wet, licks all over Wally’s mouth. “Want me to make it better?”

Wally just whimpers and luckily Hal translates that correctly because then he’s pushing Wally’s boxers down and curling his hand around his dick and the noise Wally lets out is like he just got kicked in the gut, only in a good way. 

“Oh Hal, fuck,” he groans, pushing into Hal’s fist. “Oh god, don’t -- don’t stop doing that.” 

“Won’t,” Hal says next to Wally’s ear. “C’mon, Wally. C’mon, beautiful, come for me.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Wally gasps out and just like that he’s shuddering all over and spilling into Hal’s hand, biting his lip to keep from screaming as his orgasm wrings him out before nearly collapsing on top of Hal. 

“Shit,” Hal murmurs, kissing him hard, then he’s shoving his own boxers down and bringing Wally’s hand to his dick. “Just like you’d do yourself.”

Wally chews on his lip and tries his best. He hopes he’s doing okay, but it’s not totally like getting himself off and he’s still a little drunk so everything’s still kind of confusing, but then Hal is saying things like _fuck_ and _god, yeah_ and _like that_ under him, pushing up into his hand and grabbing Wally’s hair, so maybe he is doing okay.

When Hal comes it feels like the whole bed is shaking with it and he gets Wally’s hand all wet and sticky, then kisses him slow and deep, with a cold tongue and a sweaty face. They’re both disgustingly sticky and gross. 

It’s _awesome._

“Well,” Hal says, rolling away from Wally to grab his pack of smokes off the nightstand. “I guess it’s always good to know I can top myself on the Shitty Person-o-Meter.”

“You’re not a shitty person,” Wally says, rolling over onto his stomach. Hal’s pillow is like a cloud and his face just kind of sinks into it. “You’re just Hal.”

“You keep saying that,” Hal says, lighting his cigarette. “But see, that’s not a _good_ thing, kiddo.”

“Hmm,” Wally hums. He can barely keep his eyes open. “Is to me.”

Hal just sighs, leans back against the headboard and plays with Wally’s hair while he smokes. 

“You know I didn’t,” he says quietly after a moment. “Back when I was still hanging around and you were...you know I wasn’t --”

“I know,” Wally says, shifting around and sitting half way up so he can look Hal in the face. “But I’m an adult now.”

Hal just reaches out with his free hand and touches his thumb to Wally’s bottom lip. “Guess one of us has to be.”


End file.
